Parquet Courts Played Wonder Bar with Beth Israel, 12/9/16

Parquet Courts

Human Performance

When I saw the announcement that Parquet Courts would be playing Wonder Bar, I got really excited. They're one of those bands I've loved for several years but, for one reason or another, have never gotten a chance to see live. And whenever there's the opportunity to see a band like them without having to hump it into Brooklyn or Manhattan, I jump at it.

This one had an early start for a Friday. Doors at 7. I figured it would be packed, and I'm always early anyway; so I got there just as Wonder Bar were letting people inside. It was about an hour until Philadelphia's Beth Israel took the stage. Onstage, the trio were pretty deadpan and low key. I'd call their sound experimental garage rock, maybe. There were moments of almost poppiness that emerged from the noise. All together it was an interesting and really enjoyable set.

Beth Israel

Beth Israel

Parquet Courts came on at around 9:15 opening with Sunbathing Animal's "Dear Ramona." They progressed through a set that was heavy on selections from this year's fantastic Human Performance but that also included quite a few early favorites like "Borrowed Time," "Master of My Craft," and "Light Up Gold II" from 2012's Light Up Gold.

The three Parquet Courts vocalists each bring a different personality to the band. Guitarist Andrew Savage can be wired and manic on a song like "Paraphrased." Bassist Sean Yeaton goes from wildly swiveling his head while playing to being stoic and mechanical during "I Was Just Here" or when singing some carefully timed backing vocals. Guitarist / keyboard player Austin Brown does kind of a laid-back rap on "Captive of the Sun" or a rhythmic lecture on "One Man No City." There are times when the three sing together; and, for a band whose sound is sometimes built around a calculated messiness, there's a precision to these moments that reveals how much effort Parquet Courts put into their arrangements. Drummer Max Savage is a huge part of the band's sound, taking the songs through varying styles like punk, post punk, and more laid-back indie rock.

Parquet Courts

Parquet Courts

Parquet Courts

The band made several mentions of the fact that this was their first-ever trip to New Jersey. Wonder Bar, as usual, kept the big-screen TVs on at the bar during the entirety of the set. Those are visible from the stage, so that gave the band the opportunity to catch up on whatever basketball game was on during breaks between songs or when dealing with technical issues. They made a few jokes about how New Jersey had lost its basketball team to Brooklyn, even including the line "No Basketball Team / No City" in "One Man No City." They're funny guys, and it made for a fun, communal set.

Things were done by about 10:40; and, I have to say, I could learn to love early shows like that, especially when they're as great as last night's. I've been sleeping too long on seeing Parquet Courts live, and I'll try not to make that mistake again. Looks like their current tour brings them to Philly at the end of January. And let's hope their first trip to Jersey wasn't their last.

Pics are in the Flickr galleries.